Aftermath: Equestria
by Ink-Dash
Summary: After the War, nothing was the same. The bombs dropped and Equestria was forever changed. This story follows many of your favorite characters from the show in human form on their journey to solve a whole generation's worth of problems, mysteries, and defeat tyrannous leaders.
1. Prologue and Chapter 1

Author's note: To anyone that reads this story, I encourage you to leave a review. Even if you stop reading it, and find it completely boring, please, tell me why! I welcome any form of feedback, either good or bad!

Aftermath: Equestria

By Ink_Dash

 _The sound of a nuke is like nothing you'll ever hear again. It's not just the explosion like you'd think, but the screams of innocent people. The sounds of death. Despair. Lost hope. I've heard at least half a dozen. It does things, makes you see the world differently. Human life is expendable. Millions dead, because of the greed of corporations. Nukes sold to the highest bidder, like children's toys. Toys destined to be thrown carelessly at anyone, anywhere. No one can be your friend, let alone trusted. Work for yourself, and no one can hurt you. Physically? Yes. But not through the mental anguish of loss, and that's the worst way to hurt anybody. Unless they've been through the same pains as I have. Unless they understand someone's world turns on only themselves._

Chapter 1

A pitch black helicopter flew over the treetops, sometimes weaving around taller trees so closely that the blades cut off branches. The rotors were nearly silent, thanks to new state of the art technology to reduce sound.

"Strike One, do you copy?"

"Solid copy Headquarters."

"Strike One, you're being airdropped deep in enemy territory. Your objective is to locate and neutralize their radar and communication jammers. You should be entering… range now." The transmission became distorted. "Eliminate targets with… -treme prejudice. Do… copy?

"You're breaking up, but we copy."

The next part was heavily distorted, but the captain could make out 'Make the Iron Federation proud,' and something that was probably 'over and out.'

"Okay everyone! We're dropping in 2 minutes! Remember, we have no clue what's in the dark zone. Be prepared for anything, and keep your heads on a swivel." Grunts of assent came from the mouths of 10 soldiers, clad in dark camouflage, all the soldiers in the craft but 1. "Newbie, you look queasy. Don't tell me you've got a weak stomach!" she directed this at the younger soldier who hadn't responded, indeed looking as if he may lose his lunch.

"No, Captain Dash! Just need a moment ma'am!"

"Damn right soldier! Everybody, we're dropping in…" she glanced back towards the cabin.

"30 seconds ma'am."

"Thanks Spitfire. In just half a minute, we go into the unknown. It's been 15 years since anyone except the Red Eagle Alliance has set foot here. We have no clue what to expect, so we will expect everything. This is what we are trained for!"

"OORAH!" the soldiers shouted. Spitfire called up from the cabin.

"10 seconds to LZ. Once you get off, I'll be back in 20 minutes, and leave 60 seconds after that. So you better be back by then!" The chopper approached a large clearing. When it was about 5 feet off the ground, Spitfire shouted "Go, go, go!"

24 boots hit the ground, 4 at a time. As soon as the last set touched down, the blades whirred as the helicopter began to lift off over the trees. Even before it went out of view, the squad was heading towards the tree line. Every gun was raised, eyes focused on the forest around them. Only Rainbow Dash's gun was lowered, as she was holding what may be the most valuable thing they had with them. It was the RADAC, which stood for Radio Agitation Dismissal by Amplification of Constants. It sifts through airwaves to find constants and patterns, providing a general direction from which a disturbance is originating. After a minute without a ping, Dash told the squad to stop. Once they were together, Dash turned to look as the newbie fell to his knees and clutched his stomach with one arm.

Dash sighed. "Newbie, if you need to hawk something up, do it now before your retching can give us away." With permission, he did just that. He expunged the contents of his stomach onto the ground and got up shakily.

"I'm fine now, ma'am. Thank you, ma'am."

"You sure about that? You still look a bit… nauseous."

"Just the effect of food going the wrong way, Captain. I'll be fine in a moment." Dash didn't have time to keep worrying, so she took his word for it. She noticed she was actually feeling a bit nauseous herself. _I would think everything I've seen would have hardened me past my stomach turning from something like that._

"Okay everyone, we have just over 18 minutes to find what we came here for," she said with a glance at her watch. "We're going to make a beeline for the middle of this forest, and hope the RADAC picks up something from there."

They moved out again, taking just over 9 minutes to travel only a quarter mile. This was because they had to keep stopping on the account of hearing noises, but each time they passed it off as the local wildlife. Someone slipped and fell into mud. He claimed that the root had reached out and tripped him, and obviously no one believed him. Suffice to say that afterward, no one wanted to be the one standing next to him in formation.

As they closed in to the middle, the RADAC got a ping, conveniently in the same direction. When they reached the middle of the forest, they were met with fallen, overgrown trees, all pointing away from a crater, left by what looked like an old bombshell that was sitting in it. They made to continue past, but as they did, the ping turned to point backwards.

"This bombshell is somehow causing the interference. It must be some kind of EMP field drop." Rainbow Dash said, referencing the RADAC. The newbie looked at it.

"It looks like it's pre-War era. Did that technology even exist back then?" He looked unsteady.

"Apparently, it did. Or it's a disguise. One way or another, it's causing the disturbance."

The newbie looked like he was about to fall over, he was swaying so much.

"Really, we can't know. Are you alright?" Dash put her hand on his shoulder to try and steady him.

"Ma'am, I don't think so. I've been thinking. Everything I'm experiencing is similar to the symptoms of radiation poisoning. If this is a dud of some pre-War nuke, we could all be dead by the time the chopper gets back." He suddenly dropped to the ground and dry retched a few times. Dash crouched to keep talking to him when he was done. "Captain, we're all dying. Look around." Dash did, and she realized he might be right. At least half the squad looked queasy now, and they all looked dizzy. Rainbow herself felt pretty nauseous.

"Son, I think you're right. We've got to abort."

"The RADAC, it picks up some types of radiation as a ping when there's very large amounts of it somewhere. Like here. Being this close has probably sealed my fate. But the rest of the squad has just started exhibiting signs. You can make it out." he coughed. "Leave me. Get to the LZ."

"No man gets left behind. You're coming with us." the soldier began to cough violently, and blood began to pool out of his mouth. Dash tilted his head down so he wouldn't drown. The chopper had only entered the forest around 15 minutes ago, and the symptoms had apparently progressed very quickly.

"Just… go!" He managed those last two words through the torrent of blood just before his eyes closed.

"Hey, hey!" Dash shook him. He didn't respond. She stood up quickly.

"We're leaving! We've found the source, but we can't even tell HQ what we found if we're all dead, much less get rid of it. Let's move out!" The squad began to jog back through the trees, the ordeal had left them with only 8 minutes to get back, so they couldn't bother checking angles. The clearing was in sight when gunshots from the rear guards lit up the night behind the formation.

"Contact!" one of them yelled over their own shots.

A soldier was being dragged into the underbrush by the feet, screaming. The other rear watch was shooting into the bushes. Something yanked his feet out from under him, and moments later he too had been dragged away. He could be heard fighting desperately with the unseen enemy, but his cries were silenced quickly.

"Everyone, watch your six and get to the LZ!" The squad made a run for the clearing, but by the time they broke the tree line only 4 soldiers, including Dash, remained. Huge creatures pursued them from the trees, with the forms of a wolf, but with rough, brown skin. Their eyes glowed green, without pupils. As they drew closer, Rainbow Dash could see them seemingly appearing out of trees, until she realized that their skin was tree bark, and they had been clinging to the trees the entire time. Twisted fate, that joke the soldier told about the living tree, Dash thought. It came true in the worst way possible. He had been one of the first to die to the creatures. They caught up to the soldier in the back, one tripping him before another came to fight over the prize. A third bit him at his torso, gleaming teeth shearing him in two. The screams of the dismembered soldier were unearthly, and stuck in the heads of the remaining three for long after it was stopped by one of the wolf-creatures. The surviving soldiers turned around and fired at one that was closing in, bullets ricocheting off the bark hide. It claimed yet another soldier, ripping off limbs before crushing his skull. Another jumped over the dead soldier and it's comrade, leaping a second time for the remaining soldier. It pinned him on the ground, and he struggled to keep its jaws away from his face. Dash ran over, putting two bullets straight into its right eye. The glow faded, and it fell over in a completely disjointed pile of bark.

"You saved my life! Thank-" Dash cut him off.

"Don't thank me yet, there's still more here!" He nodded.

"Yes, ma'am!" He quickly raised his weapon, a Sturmgewehr Model 516, standard issue in the Iron Federation for Special Ops units. Dash left him to deal with his side; she had her own issues, 3 to be exact. She tried to aim for their eyes, but the strange gait they ran with made it difficult. Her bullets glanced off of their heads, not a one landing a substantial hit. Now her magazine was empty, and they were very close. She heard the screams of the other soldier as they fell, and knew this was her end. She pulled out her pistol in a last ditch effort. She had a custom equipped Sig Sauer P230 with a suppressor and flashlight/laser combo. It had saved her life many times before, but she doubted it stood any chance now. They were nearly on her, and though she managed to pop one of the wolves in the eye, it stumbled and rolled before getting back up. _Damnit. Well, if I'm to go out, I'm glad it had to be at the claws of mutant tree-wolves and not by some common gunman_. The lead wolf leapt towards her, and then and there she vowed that she would stare her killer down. It knocked her flat on her back and it's claws dug into her left arm. She screamed at the pain, but managed to raise her gun and shoot it, emptying the whole clip into it's head and eyes before it could sink it's teeth into her. Dash couldn't feel her left arm. She pushed the now dead wolf off one-armed and got up. Her weapons dry, she dodged the next wolf's pounce to the side while taking her combat knife from its sheath on her leg. She grabbed the wolf's neck and stabbed it through the eye. The third was on her before she could turn around, her reaction times dulled by blood loss. Her pistol was empty, her knife knocked out of her hand. Her vision was darkened, and she couldn't bring herself to move. Its jaws came down over her head. Then, she heard rolling thunder.

The sky lit up as streaks of light pummeled the wolf holding her down, knocking it away. Dash was nearly unconscious from blood loss, and she could hear a loud thumping. Slowly, she realized it was her heartbeat. She could see orange flashes, blemishing the pure white of the full moon. Unbeknownst to her, it was now exactly midnight, and the moon shone directly above the dying soldier. _Luna, please allow me to pass peacefully. Hand me off gently to the afterlife_. Her eyes closed.


	2. Chapter 2

She saw a face over her, with blazing yellow hair. "Hold on Dashie, you're not dying on me now, Hold on!" Dash tried, but her eyes shut again. Some time later, they opened a second time. She was laying in the back of the helicopter. She didn't see anyone else. She couldn't feel her left arm and her left eye hurt, but she didn't see a point to staying awake. She closed her eyes on her own this time. The next time she woke up, she was greeted by a bright white light. She groaned and tried to get up, but her body wouldn't respond.

"Oh, you're awake!" She heard a male voice. The light was tilted away. She saw a man with brown hair. He wore a lab coat and mask, so she assumed he was a doctor. She tried to turn her head to see him better, but it wouldn't move. "How are you feeling?"

"I can't move," she said.

"Oh yes, we had to disable your motor function temporarily to allow for the cybernetic to be connected."

"Cyber… that's for people who... need replacement…" Oh no.

"Well of course, Commander Sombra wasn't going to let his best operative become a cripple." He lifted her left arm into her view. It was fully metallic, every joint clearly defined by a split in the casing. She tried to wiggle her fingers, and the tips of the cybernetic fingers moved just slightly. "Oh good, you're already getting control of the arm! You're lucky Spitfire was able to get you back so quickly. We may have had to use a cranial implant if you had lost much more blood in your arm, and hell, do those things hurt to get. I haven't gotten one personally, but the screams that slip out even through sedation are very telling."

"Ah-hem." Dash really wasn't wanting to hear that right now.

"And I- oh yes. Sorry, I do ramble. Name is Doctor Whooves, by the way. Yours?"

"Rainbow Dash. Where are we exactly?"

"A medical care unit in the Iron Federation Headquarters. Commander Sombra will be pleased to be able to meet you in person. Being the only survivor of your entire squad, he has many questions he's been dying to ask for days now." the statement clicked for Dash.

"Days? How long was I out?"

"Oh, only about a week." She had no words anymore. The whole situation was just so alien to her. "Your left eye also got rather lucky, something barely cut the surface of your cornea. You'll have a scar over your eye permanently, but the eye itself will be just fine in a few more days." Rainbow realized her eye had been instinctively keeping itself closed through the whole conversation. She tried to open it but it resisted, and from what she saw out of the small sliver that opened, it was just as well. The vision out of that eye was very blurry.

"I hope it does, I've never liked eyepatches," Rainbow Dash said jokingly. The Doctor chuckled.

"Oh, yes, just give it about 2 weeks and your vision should be about back to normal." He walked to a desk with a computer on it. Dash started to remember what had happened. The ambush in the forest, losing the squad.

"I told them to be ready for anything. No one could have expected that." she murmured.

"What was that?" Dr. Whooves turned from his computer, where he had been typing something.

"Oh, I was just thinking about the squad. No amount of training or preparation could have saved them from what happened."

"So you remember, and already! I was worried your blood loss may have affected your brain… tell me, what do you remember?"

Dash thought hard, remembering everything. From the noises in the forest to the dying soldier to blacking out, she remembered every painful detail. "After we touched down, we moved through the forest. We didn't pick anything up on the RADAC for a while, and when we stopped for a moment, the newbie puked. Said he was fine, but he didn't look it. We reached what was approximated to be the center of the forest following a ping, and found a bombshell." She didn't want to get into the death of the soldier. "The newbie, he… he died right there. Proximity to what was the apparently radioactive bomb crater." The Doctor looked up.

"You're telling me that in only a few minutes of being in the area, he died of radiation poisoning. The rest of the squad was fine?"

"Yes, but the rest were far from fine, many had been holding in vomit for a while. The rest were dizzy. It had to have been some new form of radiation to work so fast. I suppose that brings me to the next part well. We knew then we needed to leave, fast. We jogged through the forest, and about halfway back, one of the rear watch was incapacitated by an unknown threat. Only the second watch had seen anything, and was trying to shoot it. We started running after he, too, was taken. They picked us off one by one."

"They?"

"These… wolves. They were huge, and their skin was made of some sort of wood or bark."

"Wooden wolves. Interesting." He wrote something onto his notepad.

"We numbered only four of the original twelve when we made it to the LZ. Our bullets just bounced off of their hides, totally ineffective. They closed in on the last soldier in the group, ripping him in-" she was cut off by her retch, the sudden memory of the soldier's grisly end making her nauseous.

"If you can't continue, you can just rest for now."

"No, No, I'm fine." She had seen plenty of death. More than she would have liked really. "The other wolves were on top of us after having killed another, the first I managed to kill by shooting it in the eye. The last soldier died, and one leapt on me, pinning me down and," thinking about the arm, "apparently ripped off my arm. I fought it off, as well as the next, but the third pinned me down. This is all kind of fuzzy, but I think Spitfire shot it off with the heavy MG on the chopper. She picked me up and flew me… here I guess." Doctor Whooves made some more notes on his pad.

"Thank you, it seems that everything is… in order. I will leave you now to rest. You should regain control of your body soon, so feel free to get up and stretch. But try to minimize the use of your new arm until it can be overseen."

"Thanks Doc."

"My pleasure." He walked out and shut the door. It clicked closed. Then it clicked again, and beeped once. _Did it just lock_? She wondered. The first seed of doubt formed in Rainbow's head. She didn't realize it yet, but she was suspicious of the Doctor's intentions. In the back of her mind, she felt like something wasn't right.

Just a few minutes later, she was able to move her fingers fully. The rest of her body wasn't very quick to follow, and so she decided to take a nap. She had no clue what time it was, there wasn't a clock in the room. She just knew she felt very tired.

She woke up around 20 minutes later. She was groggy, but she got up and sat on the bedside. Slowly she remembered where she was. Then she remembered she hadn't been able to move. _Well I guess that wore off_ , she thought. She went to rub her eye, and slammed hard metal into her eyebrow. "What the he- oh, right." She raised her new arm to her face, examining it. It moved easily, if not so accurately. She tried to set it down on her leg, but it went wide and slammed into the metal bars on the side of the bed. The bed slid across the floor a couple inches, screeching. The sounds were deafening, but she luckily couldn't feel any pain. She carefully brought her arm in front of her face again, looking for damage. She didn't see anything, not even a mark, and it must have hit with significant force to move the bed. She looked at where it hit, and found the bar was actually slightly bent. _And that's when I tried to be gentle. Sheesh. I guess I see why he wanted me to wait. I could've broken my leg!_ Still, it felt awesome to have that power, there was no denying that.

The door beeped, opening to admit Doctor Whooves, followed by two armed guards.

"Miss Dash, if you could, please follow me to the testing facility." Dash eyed the guards, not getting up.

"Why the guards?"

"Oh, the cyber-prosthetics have been known to act up. They're just some muscle in case we by chance need to restrain you." His mouth smiled, but his eyes didn't. The seed had grown into a sprout as Dash began to realise that something was definitely going on. There was no point refusing, so she got up and was escorted down the hall.


	3. Chapter 3

"Shipment 36-C, arriving on schedule to Dock 16. Unload priority 1." A computer voice blared over loudspeakers. Trucks pulled in and out of a massive yard. Steep rock walls enclosed the area on two sides, with a massive concrete wall on another, with the last side being open to the valley entrance. It was very early, 4 a.m.. Tall light posts lit up the area under the early morning sunrise. A woman stood on the concrete loading dock labeled 'Dock 16'. She had combed purple hair, and a regulation olive drab outfit. On the back it was embroidered with the word 'overseer' in small black text. People were bustling around, unloading crates from a massive trailer, towed by low vehicles that had a narrow tinted visor and a large machine gun mounted on top. The gun was connected by a bundle of wires, since it could be controlled from inside. These vehicles only transported precious cargo, and the 'unload priority 1' justified it. Another woman came out of a door behind her. She wore a tight fitting suit with the outline of faint hexagons, shimmering in a pattern over the whole body. She had iridescent, greenish-teal hair, and was wearing thick black gloves.

"Rarity, how was your first shift?" she inquired. The first woman turned around, revealing what seemed to be a severe burn wound covering the entire left side of her face.

"Oh, Chrysalis! Didn't expect to see you this morning."

"I just felt like I needed some fresh air. Even truck exhaust is better than recycled air that smells like metal after long enough."

"I know the feeling, it's just the other way around for me."

"Mm-hm. I know it doesn't hurt, but I can't get over how bad that looks," Chrysalis said, referring to Rarity's injury.

"Oh, don't worry. I forget it's there sometimes."

"Do you ever wish you hadn't been there?"

"Oh, only every moment of my life."

"But why? You had a prosperous dress business in the fashion capital of Equestria!"

"But only because I lost something worth even more." Rarity sighed, and leaned on a railing. Chrysalis rested her hand on Rarity's shoulder.

"Do you want to tell me what?" she asked quietly.

"I, suppose it may help if I do." She stood up, turning around to lay back on the railing.

"I lived in a small town called Ponyville. My younger sister, Sweetie Belle, and I lived on the second story of my boutique. I made and sold dresses, while Sweetie just stood and watched. She always wanted to help, but whenever I let her she would just ruin everything!" Rarity's face was filled with anger, but it quickly turned to sorrow. "One day she had accidentally ruined a dress for a particularly important client of I found out, I started yelling and we got into a fight. One thing led to another, and then I said that 'maybe I didn't need a sister'. She yelled back that maybe she didn't either. I packed my things that night I left to Manehattan on the next train. She was 18 that month, and she could take care of herself. I saw on the news that the nuke that hit Canterlot wiped out Ponyville too." Rarity had tears streaming down her face. "To think that the last thing I said to her was that I didn't need her, and now look at me." She wiped her eyes and dried her hands on her uniform. "In Manehattan, before the nuke, the alarms were just enough warning to get out of the kill zone. But the heat still reached me around the old stone wall I hid behind." Chrysalis looked away.

"At least now she knows that you still cared, that you still do care. I'm sure she's happy wherever she is now." She turned back to Rarity, now wearing the face of stoic grief.

"Thank you, Chrysalis. That really does help." Rarity said, but on her face Chrysalis could see that she was still in pain thinking about it. She patted Rarity on the back, and walked back through the door.

Rarity continued to stand there for almost an hour. Suddenly, the conversation had made her realize that she didn't belong in the Iron Federation, led by a leader who kills needlessly because he thinks that he doesn't need anyone else. She knew she needed to leave. Soon.


	4. Chapter 4

Rainbow Dash was taken through so many hallways she couldn't have found her way back in a decade. Eventually, they stopped in front of a large sliding metal door, with a full platoon outside guarding it. She had never been to Commander Sombra's quarters, as only Countess Chrysalis was normally allowed in. He never left it, except once a month when he inspected progress on the top secret 'Project Aquamarine'. Dash didn't know much, but she knew that it involved a new superweapon of some sort. Spitfire was allowed a tiny bit more clearance than she was, and everyone once and awhile she would "let slip" a little information. If anyone knew, Spitfire, and Rainbow for that matter, would be executed. One of the guards spoke into a radio, and a moment later the door opened. One of her escorts jabbed her with their rifle, telling her to go in.

When she went through the doorway, the door closed behind her. The room had a large window on one side, overlooking the rest of the fortress and the land beyond. A simple metal bed was in the corner, with a bookshelf next to it. Sombra stood in front of the window and was looking out. "Your story is quite extraordinary, Captain Dash. You were rather… fortunate to be the sole survivor," he said. "Tell me, just how was it that you knew to shoot the Timberwolves-" He stopped suddenly. Dash stayed silent. "Or whatever it was you called them? Well, either way, just how was it you knew the eyes were their weakness?"

"Sir, I took a guess. It only seemed logical."

"Mm-hm, and the so-called radiation. It was very unusual. The Doctor said that it followed no known patterns, and you even seemed to have… purged the radiation. He didn't even need to treat you for it." Dash was confused, she had assumed she had been treated for radiation poisoning _before_ being given the prosthetic. "Maybe your body is capable of producing special chemicals," he said. "Or, as I believe, it was a poorly approximated _fake_." Dash started to speak on impulse.

"What? What do you mean?"

"Do not speak out of line, Captain. I will explain regardless of you knowing what happened. What I mean is that you made yourself temporarily sick to cover for the cause of death of the rest of Strike One." Dash managed to keep her multitude of questions in her mouth this time. "Because none of them died of radiation or the… wolves, now did they, _traitor_?" Sombra said.

"What! I-I would never- I have no clue what you're talking about!" Dash said, bewildered.

"Because they never existed, did they?" Sombra said, his voice rising.

"But they did! Ask Spitfire, she saved me from them!"

"Oh, we did. You two have kept your plot hidden very well."

"I- we- what would we even have to gain by killing just one unit?"

"You mean the unit that has killed many of the leaders in the Red Eagle Alliance? Crippling their infrastructure?"

"I still didn't do any of what you're saying!"

"Oh, the REA never were the smartest where they? They should know that's a horrible cover. That's what any Red Eagle spy would say, of course."

"I have been loyal for over 15 years, and you accuse me of being a traitor? Does loyalty have no meaning?" Unseen guards seized her from behind. They must have gotten some sort of signal. She hadn't even heard them come in in her disbelief.

"Take her to the prison camps. Don't trust a word she says, the Red Eagle dog." Dash struggled to break free, managing to get her new arm free and send one of them flying several feet into a wall with a gut punch, but then she felt something hit the side of her head. The last thing she thought was I should never have been here. Then she was out cold.

She opened her eyes, seeing pale white above her head, and a bright light shining in her face. _Thank Celestia, I was just dreaming. I'm still in the hospital room. Must've needed more sleep than I thought_. She was laying on her back, so she rolled onto her side and propped herself up on one arm while rubbing her eyes with the other. _I_ do _have back control. That's one thing good about this being real_. She only had on a grey t-shirt and sweatpants. Dash quickly realized something wasn't right. She definitely was not in the hospital. The walls were a pale white fabric, with dirt and grime smudged all over. The light was just an LED lantern hanging from one of the metal supports. The bed was only a mattress on a metal frame. She had never seen an Iron prison camp, but this seemed to fit the bill. She sat up and put her head in her hands. So it was real. _How can this be happening? What is even happening?_ She recounted everything that had happened since she woke up in the hospital room. She found out about her arm, was taken to Commander Sombra, accused of treason, and thrown into a prison camp. _Her_! The captain of the most important unit in the Iron Federation! Sombra must be getting paranoid. _Then again, massive wooden wolves that are impervious to bullets and strange types of radiation does sound like some stupid cover. Actually, he did seem to slip and call them by a name, as if he'd already heard of them. Or maybe it was an honest assumption. One thing is certain, I can't stay here. I need to get out of this place, and far, far away from the Iron Federation. I'll be executed_. She heard fabric brushing together. She turned and saw a woman with long pink hair, holding a tray of what Rainbow could only assume was food. It looked like grey goo. Not even the lowest units in the army got something like that for a meal.

"Oh, good. You're up. I was hoping this wouldn't have to get cold. You'd rather starve at that point, believe me. The first time I tried, I puked it straight back up. It was also the last time."

"Who are you?" Dash asked.

"Fluttershy. You?" She replied.

"Captai- well, just Rainbow Dash now I suppose." Dash realized that her status, gained through years of cheating death in combat, now meant nothing.

"Another one? I should have figured," Fluttershy said.

"Another what?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Another soldier. I swear Sombra must have sent half his army to these camps by now," Fluttershy said with a sigh.

"But why?" Dash wondered.

"Hell if I know. He must be getting paranoid or something, afraid someone will betray him."

"That would fit." Dash prepared to tell her what had happened, taking a deep breath. "I was sent here because Commander Sombra thought I was an REA spy, and that I had killed my squad. But I didn't! It was these - and this is going to sound ridiculous - massive wolves made of tree bark. Our pilot saw them too, saved me from them." Dash realized the implication of what Sombra had said about Spitfire. "Have you seen a woman, about my height, with blazing yellow and orange hair?" Fluttershy sighed lightly.

"Yes."

"Can you take me to her?"

"Yes, but if that's Spitfire…" Fluttershy trailed off, not knowing what to say.

"What? What is it?"

"She's in a bad way." Dash became concerned.

"In what way?"

"I don't know, she was thrown in here the way she is now just an hour before you were, the only difference is that we've bandaged most of her wounds." Dash felt dread creep through her body. She had to see Spitfire.

"Take me to her."

It turned out that Spitfire was in the neighboring tent. Fluttershy explained that it was where all the injured prisoners went. Currently, Spitfire was the only resident, and for good reason. She had gashes all over her face and arms, though most of them were covered by blood soaked rags, and she had a black eye. Blood had saturated her clothes, the same grey shirt and sweatpants. _Oh Celestia, what did they do to you…_

Dash went to the side of Spitfire's bed. She was barely breathing and was being tended to by another prisoner.

"Oh Celestia… how is she doing?" Dash asked the attendant.

"She's gained consciousness a few times, but not for long. For the most part, the wounds aren't bad, but it's just the quantity that's been so nearly lethal. The wounds should heal in a few weeks and..." The attendant looked down at Spitfire's face. Her eyes had blinked open.

"Spitfire! Are you okay?" Dash asked her.

"Peachy," she said sarcastically, and weakly. "What do you think? My body hurts like hell…" She coughed. At least she still had her sense of humor.

"What happened to you? Who did this?"

"Sombra… he ordered the guards-" she coughed again. "He ordered the guards to beat me until I told the truth about what you did to the squad. But of course I had told him what really happened, about the wolves. He didn't believe me. Accused us of being traitors." She started coughing again.

"Same thing I went through, but apparently I skipped out of the beating." Spitfire glanced at Rainbow's new arm.

"That's new. Why wouldn't he just let you die?" She said.

"I think Sombra may have put it together when my story matched yours, after I had gotten this. I told the Doctor everything I remembered. If he just knew we both saw the same absurd thing, it would seem like a cover." Dash was beginning to regret it.

"Huh. Well, something's clearly not right here." Spitfire glanced at the nurse. They were in the corner doing something with their back to them. Fluttershy had disappeared at some point during their conversation. Spitfire gestured Rainbow Dash closer. "We need to get out of here," she whispered.

"I know," Dash whispered back. "I knew the moment I was taken to Sombra. I just hadn't realized it yet."

"I can't leave any time soon, it's up to you. Get out of here. I'll find a way out when I'm ready," Spitfire said. Dash knew Spitfire was condemning herself to let her escape.

"I can't leave you."

"You must! You're too valuable for the world to lose you. I, I..." she drifted out of consciousness. The attendant walked over.

"Spitfire should probably rest. She's looking better now, but we don't want to reverse that," the attendant said.

"Of course, nothing to slow her recovery," Dash said, knowing it really meant more to the both of them than the attendant realized.

Rainbow Dash left the tent and found Fluttershy waiting outside.

"So, you were Spec Ops?" she asked.

"How did you know?" Dash realized she had no clue whether Fluttershy had actually known or if she had just confirmed her suspicions.

"Sombra's army never works in lone squads," she said.

"Hmph."

"So, about escaping?" Dash was shocked.

"Wha- how did you hear…"

"I didn't. It's pretty obvious. A high ranking operative in a very prestigious unit is accused of working for the enemy and is thrown in prison. They know too much to let them live, and they know enough to know that. The logical option? Escape. Get far, far away from the IF." Rainbow had to admit, her deduction skills were uncanny.

"Well, what about escape? Why do you need to?"

"Do you think I want to be here? Do you think anyone does?"

"Fair point."

"Besides, I want to try and find some of my old friends…" She stared off into the distance for a moment. She shook her head jarringly. "You provide my best chance. A trained soldier who knows this place."

"Okay. But I've never seen a prison camp. You've been here longer than I have, any ideas?" Dash inquired.

"Not a one. They thought of everything. The double layer fences are electrified, barbed, and go 20 feet up and down. They have guard towers in the fields beyond, and there are patrols that pass any one point every 20 seconds."

"You've counted?"

"I've been here 4 months. It's like clockwork."

"Well, there has to be some way out? How does food get delivered?" Dash inquired.

A special patrol brings that goop twice a day. They come in through triple layered gates, with a different code that has to be entered at the same time on two separate keypads, which are on opposite sides of the gate," Fluttershy said. "I've studied every routine." She definitely knew a lot.

"Then what makes you think I could help?" Fluttershy sighed.

"I don't know. I just hoped you'd know something."

"Spitfire had a higher clearance than me, she might know something that will help." Rainbow said with a sigh.

"Then talk to her, when you can." Fluttershy seemed to realize what Spitfire's injuries meant for her chances of escape. Her face reflected what Rainbow Dash felt. Spitfire's information wouldn't help herself at all. But it was necessary to use her, if any of them were to leave alive.

"When do they do executions?" Dash asked, knowing well that whatever Fluttershy said would be the deadline for their escape.

"They do it every three weeks, and the last one was two days ago," she replied.

"So we've got about a month to plan an escape from the largest and strongest military in Equestria," Rainbow Dash asked rhetorically.

"That's about what it measures up to." Fluttershy responded unhelpfully.


	5. Chapter 5

Rarity was heading back to her quarters. Once she was there, she would think of how she could leave. Not that she hadn't been already. Here mind was filled with question and answers and ideas. _I could just ask to leave, I've done my fair share over the years. Maybe they'd just let me go. Oh, but I know about how the IF works, I couldn't be let go free. I could ask for leave, but then I might as well be telling them I'm running away._ Her musings were interrupted by someone calling from behind her.

"Ma'am! Ma'am!" Rarity stopped and turned around. A couple of men were walking down the hall towards her. They had worker uniforms, embroidered on the shoulders with the number of the dock they worked at. Rarity turned around and found that she had ended up right next to her room. She could always just go in there if things got out of hand.

"What do you need?" she said, turning back around. Formality wasn't required, since as an Overseer she was technically a higher rank than them.

"We have a proposition for you," one of them said, an average sized, well built man. "One of the other yard workers has been makin' fun of us behind our back. We need to teach 'im a lesson."

"One he won't forget," a bulkier and much larger man said, slamming his fist into his hand.

"It'll save you the trouble. We just need you to conveniently… look the other way," the first man said.

"Hmm, I could do that." An idea was forming in her head. "If you'll do me a favor as well." They looked at each other. They were clearly expecting her to just agree.

"What's that?" a leaner man said.

"I've been getting quite bored with all the same scenery. I'd just love to change that." They looked confused.

"How can we help with that?" the first man asked. "You wanna… pictuah or somethin'?"

"I need you to get me on one of those trucks. An outgoing one." They shared glances with each other.

"You mean… help ya' escape?"

"What'd you think? I'd actually just ask you to get me a painting?" Rarity said, exasperated. "I'll even make it easy. I get in a box, and you make sure the top's loose and it ends up at the back." They all looked at each other again.

"I uh… guess we could do that."

"Oh good, because otherwise you'd be begging an MP for mercy tomorrow. If that's all, I'll hit the sack now." She punched a code into the keypad by her door. It opened and she went in. She heard receding footsteps as the door closed behind her. _That was easier than I anticipated. Didn't even have to persuade them._

The next morning she was awoken by the incessant beeping of her alarm clock, at precisely 0500 hours. She quickly got dressed and headed down to the mess hall. She had no clue how soon she would be able to find food or water once she was out. She knew she could survive, all recruits had to have basic survival training. She ate more than she usually would, as her figure was all she really had left for her looks. But today, who knew when she'd eat next. By 0600 hours, she was at Dock 16. She kept an eye out for the workers she had talked to the night before. She thought she remembered at least a few of their serial numbers. "It was 16-46, 16-27, and 16-51, right? Definitely 16-27," she whispered to herself. Suddenly, she spotted a commotion behind one of the trailers. It was on the far side of the dock, so it was out of sight for most everyone, except Rarity, of course. Three workers were talking to a fourth worker who was sitting against the back of the truck. Every once in awhile, the larger of the three would step forward and punch or kick him. They were too far away for Rarity to see their numbers, but she figured that two similarly looking groups looking to do the same thing today was rather unlikely. So per the agreement, she looked away.

A few minutes later, she was tapped on the shoulder. She turned to see the same three standing behind her. "You ready?" asked the first man she had spoken to before. It seemed like he was the leader of their little gang.

"Of course," Rarity replied. With Rarity walking in the middle of the group to avoid being seen, they headed down towards the cargo truck. Between the men, she could spot the truck designation. It was an S series, so it was unarmed and probably bound for an occupied settlement somewhere. Y series sported a single truck mounted gun that were sent through more dangerous areas, and V series had two mounted machine guns and a fully adjustable 20 millimeter cannon. Usually they were only sent to places that required them to pass through hostile territory, or to resupply fighting troops on the field as a mobile support station. Luckily, this one's route would be relatively safe.

Hopefully.

They reached a large crate that was about 3 feet square, packed with what looked like rations and… "A pillow?" Rarity asked incredulously.

"Well, one of us," the leader said while glancing at the others, "thought it were only right."

"Hmm. Well, I won't argue with that. Thoughtful to put me in a box of rations."

"It needed to be packed with something. Otherwise when they found it laying on the side of the road empty, they would have known something was up, and it too… only seemed right. Dehydrated meat and fruit is softer than nothing anyway" He glanced back at his consorts again. The box was only half full, to accommodate the extra cargo it would soon carry. Rarity climbed in, and as the men lightly tapped nails into two corners, she realized that nothing would make them keep their word now.

"I wish I had thought this through better," she muttered to herself in the dark confines of her wooden prison. She felt the box be lifted up, and put back down with a thud. The rations were surprisingly cushioning though, and she didn't even feel anything. She heard something scratching over the box, and clicking into place. The securing straps, she figured. She heard someone tinkering with it for an abnormally long amount of time. After a minute or so, they stopped and she heard a voice from outside.

"I've rigged the strap to disconnect not too long after you're out. Wait for that, and you're good to go."

"Thank you… I, never got your names."

"And we'd prefer not to say. It's not that we don't trust you!" they added quickly. "But they do horrible things to defectors. You either squeak, or croak. I-" She heard them shuffle away quickly. Their voice was muffled, but she heard someone say something questioningly, and the man reply "Just a little issue with the strap. It's ready now." The other person said something else then apparently walked off, as the man started talking to her again. "You'll be leaving shortly. Good luck," he said.

"Thanks!" Rarity replied. She heard something on the side of her box, then receding footsteps. She sat silently, waiting, and thinking. _I suppose that's the one that went through the trouble of getting the pillow. He's a nice fellow. Certainly doesn't deserve to be here either. I wonder where I'll end up. If I fell out near REA territory, would they even ask what I was doing there? They seem like the 'shoot first ask questions later' type. Or maybe I'll be unfortunate enough to escape, just to be eaten by some terrible creature!_ Her musings were thankfully interrupted by the rumbling starting of the truck as it pulled away from the docks, then the yard, into the outside world. Rarity laid down the best she could, putting her head on the pillow, waiting for the strap.


	6. Chapter 6

A week in prison is the worst experience to a first timer. Unless you're trained for close combat, that is. The first day, some guy, who probably thought his bulk could get him whatever he wanted, came up to Rainbow Dash during the informal dinnertime.

"You gonna eat that?" He asked, pointing at the paper cup of slop in her hands. His posture told her he really meant "You're not eating that anymore."

"In fact, I am." Rainbow replied.

"Actually, I don't think you are." he said more aggressively, taking a step closer.

"No, I don't believe I'm mistaken. I'm definitely hungry enough to eat this." The man then tried to grab the cup straight out of her hands, but of course Rainbow Dash had expected that at that point. She quickly spun to the left, simultaneously moving to the right. The man, suddenly finding no resistance, stumbled forward. He barely recovered before hitting the ground, turning quickly to face Rainbow. She blocked a punch thrown straight towards her face, and ducked a heavy right hook. She used her momentum getting up to drive her right fist into his stomach, and then spinning around to deliver a strong kick to the side of her would-be robber's head, who was now bent over double. It knocked him out cold, falling on the ground, saliva dripping from his mouth. The whole ordeal was over in ten seconds flat. She tilted the cup in her left hand, which she had never put down, to her mouth and ate some of the terrible goop from within. She had gotten much better at controlling her new arm over the week.

"Ugh. You made my dinner get cold." she said to the unconscious body. She kicked him in the stomach, just to make sure he woke up sore. Really she could have ended the fight right at the beginning, by grabbing his fist and bringing her new limb down on his arm. _But that wouldn't be sporting, would it?_ From then on, she would see him eyeing her nastily from the other side of camp, but she could see the fear in his eyes. He wouldn't be an issue again, and judging by the looks some other prisoners threw at her, neither would anybody else. On Rainbow Dash's seventh day there, Spitfire came back to consciousness. She only went to sleep of her own accord now, and most of her wounds were looking much better. Dash began to be hopeful that maybe she would be recovered enough in time for her to escape.

On the fifthteenth day, everything fell apart. Rainbow Dash was heading to find Fluttershy with a plan she had been cooking up, when alarms began blaring over the camp. She happened to spot Fluttershy exiting a tent a few meters away, and went over to join her.

"What's going on?" she asked Fluttershy.

"I have no clue." Guards in the watchtowers were aimed at something between the fences, but weren't shooting. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash jogged over to the area in question, finding a guard struggling with an inmate who had somehow wrestled their handgun from it's holster. The inmate was attempting to aim it back at the soldier, who was struggling to keep it away. Eventually, the inmate stopped struggling and quickly brought the gun back and smacked it into the guard's head before they could react. They were knocked out cold, even the impact dampeners in the helmet not helping due to the apparent strength of this man. The inmate held the guard by their vest collar, using them as a human shield. They picked up the gun that had dropped after the guard was rendered unconscious, pointing it at the other guards that were arriving to the scene, who proceeded to open fire. Bullets ripped through the unconscious guard and inmate alike. Both bodies fell to the ground. One of the guards in an officer's cap started shouting orders.

"This is unacceptable! You, up there!" they said, pointing to a guard tower, "Who's in charge of this watch?" A soldier came down the tower's stairs, stopping in front of the officer and saluting. "What's your name?" the officer asked mumbled something that Rainbow Dash couldn't hear. "Well Captain, why didn't you order your men to shoot?"

"They would have hit one of our own sir." The officer was unmoved.

"And?"

"I- I'm not sure what you mean, sir."

"You may have let that prisoner escape. You know that it's protocol to do whatever is required to prevent an escape."

"He was unarmed, sir. He couldn't have-"

"You've disobeyed a direct order from Commander Sombra."

"It would have been a crime sir. I-"

"You know what else is a crime? Treason."

"Sir?"

"And I don't have an issue doing what is required of me." The officer brought his pistol out of it's holster and leveled it at the soldier's head before they could react. The gunshot was deafening in the relative silence of the camp. A red mist covered the concrete base of the fence. The captain collapsed, the ground turning a dirty shade of dark brown as his blood mingled with the dirt. Rainbow Dash realized more than ever just how bad the Iron Federation really was. The officer shouted to the watchtower. "Double the patrols. We don't want anyone getting confident off of this soldier's incompetence." Rainbow Dash turned to Fluttershy.

"Well, I had a plan. But the increased patrols will make it impossible."

"I don't think our luck could be much worse. I don't see a way in Tartarus we can possibly get out now."

"I don't want to believe it, but I think Spitfire and I have been condemned by this." Rainbow felt helpless for what may have been the first time in her life. Fluttershy sighed before replying.

"I know. I think it's best to act like we have hope anyway, it'll only make these last days feel worse thinking about your impending doom."

"And those words are comforting."

"Sorry, I'm not the gentle type."

"I get it."

"Yeah." Their sentences got shorter and shorter as they really realized their position.

Two days later, no one had come up with anything. The future looked bleak, and Spitfire had begun to be very quiet after Rainbow Dash had told her the bad news. When she finally did say something more than a word or two, it was to say "What's the point? I'm not escaping in time either way." Rainbow Dash knew she had realized the same thing she and Fluttershy had realized over two weeks ago. Or maybe she had realized the whole time, but still held out hope for Dash. Now that hope had been crushed, and her condition began to deteriorate. It began with a fever. A day later it was said that somehow her body had just stopped fighting the infection. They had disinfected the wounds when she arrived, but the bacteria had already worked itself deep into her body. In the morning she was found unconscious, and her heartbeat was slow. Her eyes didn't move, and her body was perfectly still. By noon, her heartbeat was under five beats per minute. An hour later, her heart stopped beating for good. She was pronounced dead by the informal medical staff at exactly one o'clock. Rainbow Dash didn't cry, but there was a hole inside of her that would never be filled.

Dash was sitting with Fluttershy outside the tent they shared as the sun began to go down. They sat in grieving silence, and neither had spoken in the hours since Rainbow Dash had told Fluttershy about Spitfire. A siren began to wail, breaking the relative quiet that had settled over the camp. It was different than the alarm that had sounded during the incident with the inmate, and they realized that it was coming from the main fortress. Suddenly, there were resounding booms, and glowing howitzer shells from the fortress's guns arced through the air over the camp.

"Someone's attacking the fortress!" Rainbow Dash said.

"And were sitting in the crossfire," Fluttershy replied. Explosions rocked the earth and sent chunks of debris flying through the air. In the lulls in the cannonade, the sound of engines could be heard.

"It must be the Red Eagle Alliance. They're the only force that would dare attack like this."

"I pray to Shining Armor to keep the prisoners of war safe." Vehicles came into view over the horizon, indistinct shapes with oranges flashes of gunfire surrounding them. Gunshots pinged off the guard towers, putting the two right in the line of fire.

"Me too."


	7. Chapter 7

Rarity had almost fallen asleep despite the unsatisfactory environment. A loud thunk, followed by the scratching of nylon cords sliding over her box brought her fully awake, if a bit dazed. Slowly she remembered what the cord coming off meant. "I need to bail now!" she exclaimed suddenly. _If I get out of the box first, I stand a greater risk of being injured when I jump._ A moment's silence. _I'm jumping off a moving vehicle_ , she realized with a shock. Fundamentally she had understood that fact the whole time, but she hadn't really thought about it. _Well, I can't stop now. I need to get the box off_. She began to throw herself towards the back of the box, slowly sliding it towards the end of the truck bed. She had no clue how close to the back she was, so on just her third lunge when she tipped off the back, she was caught off guard. The box hit the ground, and she hit her head on the side. It rolled for a few meters, finally coming to rest on its side. Rarity was battered, but still mostly okay. She lined up to kick off the lid, but as she did it fell over rather anticlimactically.

It was just as well as she discovered she had hurt her leg worse then she realized. As she kicked it out, it barely had any force behind it. In fact, her leg was numb from the knee down. It began to ache as the adrenaline wore off. Her knee was throbbing and warm. When she tried to move it again, it would only bend a little before it hurt too much to continue. She painfully crawled her way out of the box. Standing up, the knee began to hurt less, as long as she didn't put her weight on it. There was a trickle of blood coming down over her eye, and she felt her head. She cringed and pulled away quickly when she came in contact with a gash just under her hairline. She must have hit her head hard when she fell. She looked back at the box and saw a rectangular grey pouch hanging off the side. It was torn and dirty from the tumble, but the snap had stayed closed, and whatever was inside had stayed that way. She pulled it off. It was just secured by a magnet, but it was very strong. She looked inside and spotted a strap, two rolls of bandages, an extendable splint, and a canteen. The splint was standard field medic issue. It looked like it worked the same way as a back-scratcher, with two adjustable straps at either end. It was strange what came to mind in situations like this. The canteen was full, and there was a filter tied to it with nylon cord.

She splinted her leg at the knee and dribbled water over the gash on her head. She wrapped the bandages around her forehead after it was suitably clean. She attached the strap to the bag and took it with her, packing it with rations and repacking the rest of the bandages. The rations she could fit would last her a couple of days, maybe a week. Maybe two if she was sparing with them. She could always try to come back and get more as well. She could only fit a very small portion of what was in the crate into the bag. The canteen still only had enough water to last maybe two days, but she could filter some natural body of water when she needed to. _Or_ , Rarity thought, _I may have found somewhere in the next two days._ It was optimistic, but you have to cling to something when you have nothing. In the Iron Federation, the only geography they knew or learned was the area surrounding their post or deployment zone. So she chose a direction at random and set out across the desolate plains, limping over the dying grass and dry dirt.


	8. Chapter 8

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy ran for the closest thing to cover they had, the tent next to them. It wouldn't stop a bullet, but it was better than nothing. They sat and listened, they couldn't see much from inside. The sound of engines was getting steadily louder. Suddenly, there was a series of explosions outside, and a piece of debris tore through the tent. It opened a big enough gap for them to see a vehicle skid to a stop just inside a gap in the fences. The vehicle was badly damaged, pieces of metal, with dents from bullets, hanging off the sides. The windshield was made of a metal grate, and there was a machine gun mounted in the back. As Rainbow Dash studied the vehicles, she realized that the metal looked the way it did because it had been bolted on that way. She noticed that the vehicle resembled a pickup truck, and it looked like the plates were clearly meant to be armor for an ordinary truck underneath. Someone hopped out of the back, wearing a helmet with some piece of equipment on top. They were carrying a rifle that was unidentifiable at this distance, and wore some sort of backpack. The helmet covered the bottom of the soldier's face with some sort of filter. They put a hand up to their head, flipping down some sort of visor with two green lenses. They scanned around the camp, stopping on every tent. Even though the two were mostly hidden, they locked their gaze when their sweep reached them, flipping up the visor and beginning to walk over.

"That must be thermal!" Rainbow Dash said.

"Well, we must be dead meat, unless we think of something." Fluttershy retorted. Their gazes drifted over the tent. But it was empty besides a sleeping sack on the ground. They looked at each other. "Are you thinking…" Fluttershy started to ask.

"Better than nothing." Rainbow Dash replied. They lunged to the bag, picking it up and taking positions on either side of the tent flap. They held the bag over the opening, ready to bring it down over their attacker. They were just in time, since the flap waved open just as they were in position. Through it came the soldier, who stepped in and looked around for just a moment before the fabric went over their head. Rainbow Dash ripped the rifle from their grip, pointing it at them in one hand. She put it up to their head. "Don't move." she commanded. They stopped struggling immediately.

"I'm going to take off the sheet. If you so much as fucking move, she'll shoot you quicker than you can say 'shot'. Understand?" Fluttershy told their prisoner. They nodded in the makeshift sack, and she lifted it off their head. The helmet tugged off with it, revealing wild purple hair. Suddenly, they leaned forward and the bottom of the backpack lit up with flame. The soldier was propelled forward and rammed into Rainbow Dash who, stunned, dropped the rifle. They picked it up and pointed it at Fluttershy, too late as she connected and sent them both tumbling into the open outside the tent. Fluttershy wrestled the rifle from her adversary, and was about to pull the trigger when she felt cold metal on the back of her neck. She froze.

"You do anything, I'll shoot you." Fluttershy heard the distorted, menacing voice from behind her. If she jumped to the side she may be able to shoot them before they could aim at her again, but she had no clue how skilled they were. Her best bet was to do what they said. "Drop the gun." they continued. She slowly moved her arm to the side, letting go as soon as it was clear of her captive. The weapon hit the ground with a clank. The barrel left her neck, and while she was distracted thinking of something to do, the soldier she was holding down suddenly sat up, fire flaring out from behind them. It launched them into the air and sent Fluttershy flying backwards. She hit her head and lay on the ground, groaning. "Fuck." Through blurry vision, she saw their purple hair standing over her.

"That's for tackling me." the voice was female, and sounded young. When her vision finally cleared she saw a girl, no older than twenty. She extended a hand to Fluttershy. She was wary to accept their help, but she didn't a reason not to in her situation. The purple haired girl help her up, and she wobbled uncertainly as her brain tried to remember what up was. She shook her head to clear it, and when she looked back at the girl, the other soldier was standing next to her. They removed their mask, revealing another girl of similar age, with purple and white hair in lines that ended in curls and hung over her forehead. The girl with purple hair introduced herself. "I'm Scootaloo, and this is Sweetie Belle." She gestured towards the other girl, who nodded daintily. "And we're here to rescue you."

"Strange way to go about it."

"As I recall, you put the bag over my head. I just reacted in turn."

"What about your friend? She was prepared to shoot me just a few moments ago."

"You were just as ready to shoot me."

"Fine."

"Didn't you say there were two in there?" Sweetie Belle asked Scootaloo.

"Oh yeah," she said, and began to walk back over to the tent. "I should probably check on- gah!" She was knocked over as Rainbow Dash lunged out of the tent, tackling her at the waist.

"Dash! They're friendly!" Fluttershy yelled, just before Rainbow Dash threw a punch at the girl. It was just as well, since Sweetie Belle had leveled her rifle at Rainbow Dash, and would have no issue hitting her at this range. Rainbow Dash looked over, saw the rifle aimed at her, and looked at the girl who held it. She realized just how young they were, and looked back at Scootaloo, who was laying of the ground under her. She stood up and helped her up.

"Sorry," she said.

"Whatever," they replied. "I understand why you did what you did. Both of you. I was worried I had given you head trauma to be honest." Rainbow Dash put her hand to her head. She winced and replied.

"Ah, hurts like Tartarus, but I'm fine. Who are you two?" They reintroduced themselves, and Rainbow Dash introduced the two of them in return.

"I'm Rainbow Dash, and this is Fluttershy. What you did kid, it was daring," she added, directing the comment at Scootaloo. "Takes guts to do anything under that kind of pressure, and at your age too." Scootaloo felt her cheeks get warm.

"Hey!" Sweetie Belle yelled at them. "We've got incoming!"

"Damnit. Must have gotten wind that we came here," Scootaloo said. "Come on!" She waved towards the vehicle, and the four of them ran for it. The two girls got into the cab, while Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy jumped into the back. Rainbow Dash immediately began inspecting the machine gun mounted in the back. _Wow, this is old war equipment!_ she thought. _This looks like a Browning._ She was well educated in the matter, since the only things in the base's library were on weapons and war strategy. The truck turned towards the gap in the fence and began plowing across the crater ridden plains. Rainbow Dash watched as three jeeps drove through a gate, turning to pursue them. Each had a machine gun mounted on top, and were definitely faster than the ramshackle truck they were in. They got within range quickly, muzzles flashing as the makeshift metal barricade around the Browning was pounded with high-caliber shells. The Browning had a much shorter effective range, so Rainbow Dash stayed in cover until she figured the jeeps had come close enough. She popped up, swiveling the Browning around, aiming at the nearest jeep. She did her best to set the sights on the windshield, but the bouncing of the truck made it difficult. A bullet whizzed past her ear, close enough for her to hear it split the air. The jeep had turned its aim to her. She pulled the trigger and held it, hoping that a shot would hit the gunner, or better yet, the driver. She ducked to avoid being hit, and after she had fired for a couple of seconds she realized that bullets were no longer hitting the cab behind her. She chanced a glance over the barricade, and saw the jeep slowing to a stop, the gunner slouching over the machine gun. She must have hit the driver as well. The other jeeps had closed in and she prepared to do the same again, but suddenly bullets whizzed past her from the front of the driver of the second jeep lurched backwards, and the jeep accelerated, beginning to turn. It hit a boulder and flipped, the gunner flying out and hitting the ground with bone-breaking force. Rainbow Dash turned around to see Scootaloo leaning out of the passenger window, rifle in hand and a proud expression on her face. When she looked back, the third jeep was turning around and heading back to the fortress.

"Nice shot, Scoot! I hope you don't mind being called that." Rainbow Dash had to yell to be heard over the engine.

"Thanks, not at all!" She replied. Her face lit up from the compliment. She ducked her head and went back into the cab. Rainbow Dash sat down across from Fluttershy. Wind was blowing her hair wildly, making it look like some sort of pink flame.

"Nice shooting." Fluttershy told her.

"Thanks."

"Seems you've already taken a liking to that girl."

"She's got a wild spirit. Reminds me of myself when I was younger."

"Did you ever have a sibling?"

"No."

"I had a brother, and he was the complete opposite of me. He was lazy and didn't care about anyone else." Her expression was thoughtful as she remembered the past. "We went our separate ways as soon as we were old enough."

"Huh. Where did you live before you were sent to the camp?"

"A cave in the forests south of Canterlot."

"Not too many people around there now. Did you ever get lonely?"

"I had the forest. The animals liked me. When I was younger, just after the War, I found a wounded eagle in the forest. I couldn't help myself, I brought it back to the cave. Its wing was broken, but it's beak and claws were sharp as ever." She chuckled. "He didn't go without a fight, he was fierce. Once I got the splint on, he finally began to settle down. He'd still peck at me whenever I brought him food, though. I came back one day to find him tearing off the splint, and before I could stop him he flew out of the cave. I tried to follow him, but I couldn't keep up in the forest. I was sad for a few days, but I understood that he belonged in the wild. Winter was beginning, and food was becoming scarce. One day when I was near starving, I found him outside with a rabbit in his beak. Once I took it, he flew off and I didn't see him again that day. The next day he brought a snake. Then a rat. Eventually, he didn't fly off after I took the food. He stuck around the cave, sometimes perching near the fire or sitting on my shoulder. I decided I'd name him Adler. My grandfather was german you see," Fluttershy explained, "and when I was very young he'd teach me some. Adler is german for eagle, and I thought the name fit him. He was tough, but still cared."

"It is a nice name. Compliments Germans too, huh?"

"Heh. I thought so, and I guess he did too. I started calling him Adler, and soon enough he would respond. He kept bringing food through winter and early spring. I guess he'd eat something of his own while he was out, because if I offered him a piece before I cooked it, he'd refuse."

"Must be a good hunter to do that all through winter."

"It's in his blood. Kind of like soldiering is in yours."

"And courage is in Scoot's."

"Yeah. How about you? Where did you live?"

"Oh, I've been if the Iron Federation since I was conscripted after the War. Before that, I was living in Cloudsdale with my parents."

"Then you must have been, what? Maybe eighteen when you started training?"

"Like you said, it's in my blood. Either way I didn't have much of a choice. You can't refuse a recruitment offer from the IF. I was well built, and I guess the officer saw potential."

"They were right."

"Was that a compliment?"

"I guess so."

"Then thanks."

"It's true."

"I can still thank you."

"Hmph." They sat their heads back and closed their eyes, both drifting off to sleep quickly.


	9. Chapter 9

She became aware of voices. She opened her eyes, her vision blurry from sleep. She realized she couldn't move her limbs. Suddenly, she thought she was back in the hospital room. She started to panic, but when her hands went to her face as she tried to hide herself involuntarily, she realized nothing was wrong. She was just weary. And sore. She had hit her nose with her new limb. _Calm down_ , She thought to herself. _You're safe now_. They weren't moving anymore, and the engine wasn't running. She sat up straight and stretched. Somehow she had slept better in the back of the truck than she had most nights in the Iron Federation bunks. She started listening to the voices that she could now recognize as Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle's.

Scootaloo was talking. "We're at rendezvous alpha. Where are you?" They must have been using a handheld radio, because it was difficult to make out the words of the other speaker. As tired as she felt, she just couldn't. "Okay. Head over here as soon as it's safe to." Scootaloo said. A short reply came through.

"Where's Pipsqueak?" Sweetie Belle asked. The garbled message came through. "Keep monitoring the channels Featherweight. We'll do the same. Over and out." Rainbow Dash finally felt like moving, so after glancing at the still sleeping Fluttershy she stood up and hopped out of the truck bed carefully as to not wake her.

"Hey girls." she said as she closed in.

"Have a nice nap?"

"Yes, actually. Best I've had in awhile."

"Good, because we have stuff to do. Featherweight is still pretty deep in Iron Federation territory, but the heat is dying down. He'll be heading over soon. We haven't had any contact from Pipsqueak."

"Friends of yours?"

"Were all part of the Bloodmark Crusaders. Our mission is one of revenge and relief. Revenge against the corporations of the War, and relief of those caught in the middle."

"Who's your leader?" The girls exchanged a glance.

"You're looking at 'em." Rainbow Dash was surprised.

"What, just you two girls?"

"Apple Bloom too, but someone had to stay behind."

"And she's… how old?"

"About the same as us." Rainbow Dash sighed.

"Could've figured. Are you all this young?"

"Most of us, but a few people have joined the cause that are a bit older."

"And you lead a group that plans attacks against massive citadels against all odds." She heard creaking from the truck. She turned and spotted Fluttershy climbing out.

"What'd I miss?" she asked.

"Oh, only that these girls are two of three leaders of a relatively small group that attacks huge military forces and rescues the people caught in the middle."

"Is that right?" she asked in disbelief.

"That about sums it up." Scootaloo replied. "But enough standing around. We need to set up camp here, since Featherweight and the rest won't be here until it's too late to travel."

"There's more?" Fluttershy asked.

"What? You think we raided the most heavily fortified place in all Equestria with one truck?" Fluttershy blinked.

"I'm still tired. That was a dumb question." Sweetie Belle snorted and started walking to the truck. She opened the back door on the cab, and started pulling out what looked like tents and sleeping bags. Rainbow Dash thought of something and turned to ask Scootaloo.

"What happened to all of your parents?" Her face grew dark, and Sweetie Belle stopped moving. Scootaloo stood still for a moment, trying to figure out how to tell her without too much fuss.

"I never knew my parents. I was raised in an orphanage, except I escaped when I was barely ten."

"Well… what about Sweetie Belle?" Rainbow Dash asked tentatively after hearing that story.

Sweetie Belle was ignoring the conversation. She had finished unpacking, and Fluttershy was helping to set up the first tent.

"She's always preferred not to tell anyone."

"I'm… sorry." Dash said, trying to convey it to Sweetie Belle as well. Scootaloo just shrugged.

"It's no big deal to me," she said. "I just want to know I had a family. I've always imagined what having a sister would be like though. Every girl I see I think 'what if she's my long lost sister?'. Of course, I know I never had a sister, so it can't be true." Her eyes were filled with longing. "I can still dream though," she said quietly, looking up to the slowly darkening sky. "Right?"

"No one can tell you you shouldn't dream." Rainbow Dash said comfortingly. She leaned over and hugged the girl.

"Thanks," she said with a smile forming on her lips.

"No problem." She left the embrace. "Now what about those tents?" Rainbow Dash sensed it would be good for Scootaloo to distract herself for the time being.

Another truck arrived shortly after dark. The driver was another kid, a boy this time. He introduced himself as Featherweight, and Dash was able to see why. He was tall but skinny, and probably didn't weigh much. Scootaloo asked about Pipsqueak again, but he hadn't heard anything. "Well, there's nothing we can do but wait," she had said. They night was quiet, totally so, because very few crickets, cicadas, or similar creatures still lived in most places. They had low toxin tolerances compared to most things, and had died out quickly after the War. Still, Rainbow Dash couldn't sleep. Her mind was filled with thoughts about Spitfire.

 _I shouldn't have told her. She only lost hope because I told there was none. She would have been better off believing we just couldn't get out in time. It wouldn't have been a lie, would it? I mean, if we had longer the patrols would have died back down and we could have gotten out. But if Spitfire still hadn't been ready, we still would have left her. We'd never know what had happened to her. She would have faced the same thoughts after we were gone. They'd increase the patrols once they discovered our escape, and she'd be left in the same hopeless situation. But what if she was better by then? We could have all escaped together! Why did it have to be this way!_ Her thoughts grew to outrage as she thought about her regrets _. She would have made us leave. She would have known that we should escape if there's a chance for us, even if it means there's none for her._ Like a fog lifting, she began to see the truth. _No matter what, this was how it was to be._ She drifted off to sleep on that notion.

The sun was rising before she knew it. She had been waking up at sunrise for years, and that wasn't changing now, no matter how tired she still was. Fluttershy was still sound asleep. Carefully, as to not disturb her, Rainbow Dash left the tent. No one else was up yet. The fire they had started the previous night had burned out, so she decided to head out for firewood. She searched through the truck for a weapon, and found a pistol in it's holster. She clipped the holster onto the waist of her pants and set out. The forest was still gloomy, as the land rose toward the east, blocking the sun from the forest for most of the morning. Still, Rainbow Dash was accustomed to it. She spent most of her life's work in the dark. _Then_ _again, I normally had a pair of NVGs._ In the dim light, she began collecting small sticks and branches. After a few minutes she found a fallen tree, and remembered they had a woodcutting axe back in the girls' truck. She was prepared to head back to grab it when she heard footsteps on the dry leaves. She was standing still, so she wasn't making any noise. She listened carefully, and noticed they were getting closer. Carefully, she put down the assortment of sticks in her arms and delicately stepped behind a tree. She took the pistol out of its holster and waited for the footsteps to draw closer, ready to swing her right arm out. They were light steps, so it couldn't be a search-and-destroy unit from the Iron Federation. Their armor was thick and heavy, and would have been noticeable much sooner. Besides, they always moved in groups of two or more. As the footsteps drew very close, Rainbow Dash tensed, ready to swing. She saw a body move next to the tree and stepped out, whipping the pistol around and making contact just below the chin, hopefully hitting their windpipe. The fell on their backs, choking out breaths. Rainbow Dash was ready to pull the trigger when she realized that, despite the poor light, she recognized the scarred face.

"Rarity?" They looked up at her, their breathing beginning to become even again. Rainbow Dash was suddenly very glad she hadn't used her prosthetic to hit her.

"Dash?" Rarity said, choking.

"What are you doing way out here?" Rainbow Dash asked her.

"I could ask you the same thing!" She replied between gasps.

"It's a long story." Rainbow Dash told her.

"Funny, so's mine." Rarity said. Rainbow Dash put the pistol back in it's holster and held out a hand to help her up.

"It's been a while, hasn't it?" Rainbow Dash said. Rarity was standing and brushing herself off.

"Fifteen years now, isn't it?" she replied.

"What a reunion. Sorry about that, I didn't know it was you."

"Oh no worries, I've already received more injuries in the past few days than I have in the past few years. One more won't hurt." Rainbow Dash noticed the bloody bandages on her head. Rarity had taken the splint off the previous night, since her leg had gotten better.

"What _did_ happen to you?" Rainbow Dash inquired.

"Like I said, it's a long story. But pretty much, I rolled in a crate off the back of a moving convoy truck."

"You really are going to have to sit down and tell me what happened." Rainbow Dash told her, picking up the firewood.

They returned to camp together, and found that everything was still quiet. It was getting late in the morning now, well past when most people, military or not, would have gotten up. "Huh." Rainbow Dash said. "I thought they would have been up by now."

"Maybe they're late sleepers?" Rarity replied.

"Wouldn't think so from what I've seen, but it _was_ rough yesterday." They walked past on of the trucks into camp, and suddenly noticed a human form moving just to their left, past Rarity. "Get down!" she shouted to Rarity, and she dropped flat immediately. Rainbow Dash whipped the pistol out of it's holster, aiming at the form and crouching simultaneously. Three shots hit a rock somewhere behind her. The two gunmen stared each other down, or rather gunwomen, as Rainbow Dash realized it was just Scootaloo. They both lowered their weapons and laughed.

"That was clever Scoots. If I had been anyone else, I would be dead right now."

"I totally counted on it." she replied. Rarity was slowly getting up, her breathing shallow. "Who's this?" Scootaloo asked, looking down at her.

"Old friend of mine," Rainbow Dash replied. "Seems she's deserted too."

"Well then, welcome to the club." Scootaloo said, extending a hand to her. The rest of the inhabitants of the camp were coming out of various bits of cover now.

"Thanks?" Rarity said, not feeling so confident after nearly being shot just moments ago.

"Don't worry. They just rescued me," Rainbow Dash told Rarity.

"Well, a friend of Dash is a friend of mine…?"

"Scootaloo. This is Sweetie Belle," she said, gesturing to the girl as she walked to them. "That's Featherweight, and Fluttershy," she continued, gesturing to each in turn. They were all in a circle now. "Shall we eat?" Everyone murmured consent, and they walked over to the smoldering ashes of last night's fire. It gave one last feeble pop as the group approached. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy got to work arranging the firewood as Scootaloo and Rarity began selecting rations from Featherweight's truck, after adding Rarity's supply. Sweetie Belle was grabbing matches from the girls' truck. After they got the fire going, Featherweight got a pot and propped it up over the fire with some sticks and twine. They poured some water into the pot, and dropped in the makings of a stew. This included a couple dozen strips of beef from the rations, and some vegetables and a couple different spices the girls had acquired. When it was done, Sweetie Belle began to spoon stew into small wooden bowls, passing them out. When she got to Rarity, she paused for a moment. For most people in the group, it wasn't significant. They were too wrapped up in their own conversations. But Rainbow Dash saw something more, from her position next to Rarity, she saw an odd look on Sweetie Belle's face. Something she had trouble recognizing. Even Rarity missed it, lost in some conversation with Scootaloo. Sweetie Belle soon moved on, and Rainbow Dash quickly forgot about it as she became engrossed in the story Scootaloo was telling Rarity.


	10. Chapter 10

She must have been telling her how they found Dash, because she was describing how she eliminated one of the pursuing jeeps with some "awesome" shooting. After that it had been pretty self explanatory. They drove here, set up camp, and then Rarity came along the next morning. Rarity started telling the two about how she had ended up in the forest by their camp. When she got to the part when she fell off the truck and hurt her leg, Scootaloo's gaze drifted to Rainbow Dash's new arm. She started to lose focus on the story as she scrutinized the limb.

"If you have a question, ask it." Rainbow Dash said suddenly, surprising Scootaloo. She quickly jerked her gaze to Dash's face. Clearly she hadn't meant to be to obvious. "Go on. I'm not going to take offense." Rainbow Dash told her. Rarity had stopped talking. She was also looking at the arm with curiosity.

"I- I haven't really thought about it until now, but… I mean, I had assumed it was armor, but I was worn out from the past few days, and I didn't think about why you'd have armor when you were a prisoner, and I mean, I guess I just-"

"Calm down Scoots." Rainbow Dash said, comfortingly. Scootaloo stopped rambling. "I'm guessing you want to know what this is?" She continued, raising the prosthetic. Scootaloo nodded.

"Mhm."

"Well," Rainbow Dash started. She drew out the word to stall for a moment, as she tried to figure out how much to say. After a moment, she decided the simplest explanation was the best. "I was on a top secret mission. The squad was hunted, and in the fight, my arm was… blown off." Judging by Scootaloo's reaction, it was probably best she didn't give her the more gory explanation. She recoiled just a little, clearly trying to hide her disgust at what her mind conjured up.

"Does it hurt?" the girl asked, still intrigued.

"No. Well, not since… it… happened." Dash replied. "Good thing too," she started saying. She wanted to get Scoots' mind off of the topic of dismemberment. "Or else I couldn't do this!" Rainbow said as she jumped up, punching clean through a tree. Scootaloo's face lit up, her eyes wide.

"Awesome!" she exclaimed, as Rainbow Dash found a rock and pulverized it. Rainbow Dash walked back to the fire, taking a seat again. Rarity looked a little smug.

"What do you have Rarity?" Dash asked her jokingly.

"That rock was a type of fluorite. It's very soft compared to most rocks."

"I knew that. I doubt I could crush anything too solid so easily." Rainbow Dash replied. Rarity doubted it was true, but it wasn't like Dash to admit that. Rainbow Dash suddenly sat up straight, closing her eyes and listening carefully.

"What's wrong?" Rarity asked her.

"Quiet." she replied curtly. "Quiet! Everyone!" she said louder, the chatter around the fire quieting down almost instantly. If the soldier heard something, it was best they listened.

It was deafeningly quiet. There was not a sound to be heard. "Are you sure you-" Scootaloo started to ask, only to be silenced by a shushing finger. They waited for several seconds. Wind blew through the trees gently, rustling the leaves. The slight wind began to blow opposite direction, and suddenly the sound of rotors chopping through the air was almost unbelievably loud in comparison to the near absolute silence.

"Douse the fire, get to the trees!" Rainbow Dash shouted. Everyone dropped their bowls, Sweetie Belle covering the fire in a thick layer of dirt they had ready. The trucks had been parked under tree cover, so there was a good chance they wouldn't be spotted. Once everyone was under the trees, it was as silent as before the panic, besides the incessant sound of the rotors. Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Scootaloo had run to the same group of trees. They all carefully crept towards each other.

"How did it get so close so fast?" Rarity asked, visibly upset.

"The wind must have changed just as I heard it. When it changed back it was much closer." Rainbow Dash replied.

"We're lucky it did, we would have been caught like deer in headlights." Scootaloo said.

The helicopter finally came into view, it's matte black exterior clashing harshly with the morning sky. It's cockpit was shaped roughly like an egg, and it was small as far as aircraft went.

"Scout helicopter. No mounted armements." Rainbow Dash reported. "It's callsign would be Little Bird."

"That's doesn't make it sound nearly as intimidating." Scootaloo remarked.

"Not at all." Rarity agreed.

"It isn't, until it brings the mother bird. If they spot something, there is always an attack helicopter stationed nearby, ready to deploy."

"I hope it didn't see anything then." Rarity said, Scootaloo nodding in agreement. They waited until the rotors had faded to silence, and everyone met back up in the clearing. Sweetie Belle was the first to talk.

"Do you think it'll come back?" she asked, blatantly pointing the question at Rainbow Dash.

"I doubt it. The search pattern should bring it far from here." Everyone looked relieved. "Unless it saw something it needs to look at again." The general mood returned to anxious worry. "But," she began, "I doubt it did with your excellent performance." The assembled group became significantly happier again, as the pride they gained from the statement engulfed their fears. "There's just one thing that bothers me." she said.

"What's that?" Sweetie Belle inquired.

"If that helicopter is following normal search patterns, it should have approached from the north or south, not the east."

"Isn't the stronghold to the east?"

"Yes, but the pattern is to travel from side to side, parallel to the deployment point." Dash explained. "But the Little Bird would have been going straight out."

"Maybe they decided it was better that way?" Featherweight suggested. "I mean, they did almost find us."

"No, they wouldn't risk the court martial." Rainbow Dash told him, her face grim. "The average punishment is execution." Featherweight didn't respond, but it was clear he was thinking " _I sure wouldn't_."

"Then how do you explain it?" Scootaloo asked.

"The only other explanation is that it didn't deploy from the stronghold." Dash replied.

"Simple enough then, right?" Scootaloo remarked.

"No, there _are_ no other air bases for miles. The closest one is still another sixty or so miles north-west." There was silence as everyone tried to solve the mystery. After a few moments, it was clear to everyone that they weren't getting anywhere trying to figure it out on their own.

"Dash… is it possible there's an airbase you don't know about?" Rarity proposed. Dash looked thoughtful.

"I knew about every non-classified airbase the Iron Federation held, but then there are the classified locations," Rainbow Dash responded. "I do remember Spitfire mentioning a 'Project Phoenix'. If there was a secret to be held at an airbase, that fits the bill."

"And if it was so secret that you weren't told, with your job and all, it makes sense they would want to make sure we didn't happen to stray too close," Rarity said.

"So they deployed the helicopter from there to make sure we weren't liable to discover it," Scootaloo finished. She grew a smirk. "But that didn't work too well, did it?"

"This could be our chance!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed. "This is an opportunity we cannot pass up. We can hit them where it hurts!"

"Yes!" Scootaloo cheered, starting a frenzy in which every Bloodmark Crusader joined.

Caught in the middle of it all, Rarity and Rainbow Dash could do nothing but smile at the girls' excitement.


	11. Chapter 11

"Eagle Leader, this is Command, report status. Over." The scratchy voice came through the headset of a pilot.

They were flying several hundred feet in the air, travelling at 1,875 miles per hour. The F-15 they piloted was old as far as active models went, most pilots preferring an F-76.

"Command, this is Eagle Leader." Their voice was cut through by the respirator they had to wear at such an altitude. "Airspace is clear, and there are no apparent ground threats, I say ten-thirty-eight. Over."

"Good job Eagle Squadron. Head back to the airfield. Ten-Nineteen. Over."

"Ten-four. Over and out." Switching channels, he contacted the rest of his squadron.

"Okay everyone, you heard the man. Bank left and head back."

"Roger that"

"You got it."

"Roger." Several voices replied, and slowly all the jets began to tilt left, following a gentle curve.

"Uh, Soarin, I'm picking something up on radar," one of the pilots transmitted part way through the turn.

"There aren't supposed to be any other patrols out here. Misty Fly, are you sure?"

"Yes, and it's closing fast. Really fast."

"I'm getting it too!" another pilot responded.

"Can confirm, there is a target in the airspace, bearing four-three-zero," the last pilot said. "It's closing rapidly."

"Everyone, hard left!" Soarin commanded. Everyone followed the order immediately. The last thing they wanted was for the bogey to end up behind them. Soarin's radar began to ping as well. And it was definitely moving fast, faster than any jet they knew about.

"Arm twenty-millimeters. It's just one aircraft," he added. "This shouldn't be an issue for the Wonderbolts." The Wonderbolts were renowned fighter pilots. Only the best and brightest pilots got in. The ones that could take on three jets alone and win. In fact, the qualifying test for all pilots depicted just such a scenario. It was designed to be nearly unwinnable, and passing it depended on how well they dealt with the seemingly impossible situation before crashing.

"Ten-four, Soarin,"he heard the voice of Misty Fly say. He switched channels again.

"Command, this is Eagle Leader."

"Ten-two Eagle Leader."

"Reporting one bogey in the air. I repeat, one bogey. It is moving abnormally fast."

"Ten-four, Eagle Leader. Dispatch the bogey and return to airfield."

"Ten-four Command." Soarin switched the channel back. The enemy aircraft was only five-hundred meters away. "Everyone ready, fire at will!"

"I see them, engaging!" one of the pilots spoke over comms. The buzzing sound of the fighter's weapons could be heard, barely, over the air screaming past the other pilots' cockpit. "Several hits, they have been hit." they said. "They are staying on course. They… they aren't- gah!" The pilot's scream was cut off as a ball of fire engulfed the jet to Soarin's left. A black streak screamed past the inferno, the craft was only a blur, it's speed making it's form indiscernible.

"Damn! This craft is very dangerous! Come around to face the bogey!" Soarin transmitted to the remaining two pilots. Mid way through the turn, one of the pilots transmitted.

"I see it! It's… it's coming this way!"

"What? How did it turn that fast?" Misty Fly said, confusion and fear beginning to run errant in her voice.

"Stay focused!" Soarin said. "Arm heatseekers."

"Ten-four," Misty Fly responded, while the other pilot's comms were silent.

"Eagle Three, respond! I repeat, Eagle Three, respond, ten-sixteen!" Soarin tried to contact the pilot, when he suddenly noticed that Eagle Three was losing altitude at a steady rate. In the cockpit, he saw nothing, the glass stained red. The engines cut, and as the jet tilted back, he saw it. A bullet hole, a single shot that had pierced the reinforced glass. Soarin quickly flipped the comms channel.

"Command, this is Eagle Leader, come in, over!"

"Ten-one Eagle Leader. Poor transmission. Over."

"Command, dangerous bogey in the air, ten-thirty! Request immediate support, ten-thirty-three, repeat, ten-thirty-three! Over!"

"Ten-four Eagle Leader. Scrambling fighters. Support enroute, ten-seventeen. Over and out." Meanwhile, the strange craft had passed by again, forsaking another attack after the hit on Eagle Three. Soarin flicked the comms channel again, immediately relaying orders to the remaining pilot.

"Misty, drop altitude and bank left to bearing two-seven-two. Support is on the way."

"Understood Soarin." They had flown together for years, and had known each other for decades before. She trusted him with her life. Soarin just hoped she hadn't trusted the wrong person. They had been flying safely for several minutes when something drew Soarin to his radar. Soarin looked, trying to figure out what it was. It was blank, and suddenly it hit him. The ping had disappeared.

"Misty Fly, I think I have a radar malfunction. Transmit bogey position."

"Uh… Soarin, I'm not picking it up either." she responded.

"How did it leave the airspace so fast?" Soarin asked. It had taken several minutes more for it to reach engagement range. He hadn't expected an answer. Yet he got one, just not in the way he wanted.

His jet rocked, and when he looked back he saw something he thought he'd never see. A trail of fire followed his right wing, his fuel tank punctured, the sparks lighting it like an infinite fuse. He made out a black jet, with an odd design. It's front wings were inverted, facing forward. The horizontal stabilizers were angled upward, with a pair mirroring them on the bottom. It had no vertical stabilizer, instead there were small rudders, like a fish's fin, on each of the other stabilizers. All of this Soarin noted before it was past him. He quickly turned his gaze forward.

"This is Hornet Leader. Eagle Squadron, come in, over," a voice crackled through the radio. Soarin opened comms.

"Hornet Leader, this is Eagle Leader. Be advised, single bogey with anti-radar and powerful engines. I repeat, the bogey is invisible to radar and very fast. Over."

"Understood Eagle Leader. We see the target and are engaging now. Over." After a few second's silence, Hornet Leader transmitted again. "The bogey is down. I repeat, confirm one kill on enemy fighter. Over."

"Hornet Leader, I am hit and I am leaking burning fuel. I need-" he suddenly lost control of his craft as an explosion rocked the back of his craft. He started to go into a nosedive. He tried to pull his stick back, but his control's wouldn't respond. He looked back, and saw that the entire back of his craft was gone. He had gotten lucky, but not enough so.

"Mayday, mayday! I am going down! My backside is gone, I can't control it, Mayday, mayday!"

"Eagle Leader, you are headed for Iron Federation territory!"

"I can't bank! I have no choice!"

"Eagle Leader… Transmit location on touchdown. We'll make sure you're found." The unspoken message between them was clear. It wasn't a matter of being found, it was a matter of if there was anything left to find.

"If I don't make it… it's been an honor serving the Red Eagle Alliance."

"Ten-four, Eagle Leader."


	12. Chapter 12

A thunderclap broke the silence of the forest. Everyone started in surprise, a few Crusaders dropping various bits of survival equipment they had been packing. Rainbow Dash looked at the sky, to the horizon. She didn't see so much as a speck of fluffy white cotton, and certainly no dark storm clouds. Rarity was trying to spot a sign as well, with no better luck.

"Must be behind that mountain ridge to the south." Dash said.

"What?" Rarity started in surprise. "Oh, yes, the storm." she said. "We should be leaving the the trucks by the time it reaches us though."

"Yeah." Rainbow Dash replied.

"Uh, guys?" Fluttershy towards the trucks. She was looking into the sky to the northwest.

"What is it?" Scootaloo called from inside one of the trucks, extricating herself from the cramped interior.

"Did we predict a meteor shower any time soon?" she said, pointing to where she was looking. Pretty much everyone present turned to look on that notion. What they saw truly looked like a meteor. A grey shape was falling through the air, trailing an orange and red cloud of smoke.

"I don't think so," another Crusader answered. He must have been their weatherman or something.

Rainbow Dash scrutinized the meteor. She noticed jerky, inconsistent movements. It was falling slowly, almost as if it were gliding. As it approached the ground, it started to take a form that Rainbow Dash recognized.

"That's not a meteor, that's a jet!" she exclaimed in surprise.

"It's a bit short for a jet, don't you think?" Rarity asked, craning her head to try and see it.

"Well, it's on fire for a reason, isn't it?" Fluttershy retorted.

"Hmph." Rarity replied.

"You really think that's a jet?" Scootaloo asked as she approached the three.

"I have no doubt." Rainbow stated.

"Well, we're leaving early. Everyone, pack up what you can, this just turned into a rescue mission!" Cheers rose up around the camp.

"Wow, that's a lot of enthusiasm." Rainbow Dash noted.

"This is the Bloodmark Crusader's dream! A lone soldier in trouble, hopefully willing to break away!" Scootaloo exclaimed.

"Does this happen a lot?"

"Not at all!" Scootaloo replied with childish delight. "Come on!" she said, sprinting to the trucks, which had been fully loaded with both supplies and people. Rarity, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash exchanged a glance, running to the trucks and jumping into the back of the one Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were driving.

"Let's go!" Rainbow Dash called to the front, the Crusader's enthusiasm beginning to infuse her with excitement.

When they were about a mile away from the campsite, the jet disappeared over the horizon. Moments later, a cloud of dust billowed up on the wind. "No explosion!" Scootaloo called back to the two women. "That's a good sign!"

"Don't call it too soon!" Fluttershy called back, but the wind blew the discouraging words back into her face. It was probably best, it not as if the girl would've been discouraged in the slightest.

* * *

He was beginning to sweat. He didn't know whether it was induced by fear or heat, nor did he care. He was too focused on trying to keep his craft in some semblance of control. Often something more would break, causing him to lose control for a few moments, and changing the course. He couldn't take his mind off of keeping the remnants of the jet as flat as possible.

Soon enough, when he had mustered the willpower to take in what was in front of him, the ground was just below him. He yanked the stick up harshly, his instincts taking over. Of course, the craft didn't have enough control to do anything. But, when he skipped off the sandy ground, his desperate mind believed, for just a moment, that he was fine. That his jet was intact and it was all some vivid daydream. In the midst of this true dream, the craft struck the ground again, this time hitting at such an angle that it flipped over forward. It bounced up, knocking around the pilot. It flipped over again and landed right side up. This time it stuck by the nose, jolting the pilot forward. He sprung back, hitting his head on the side of the cockpit again.

His vision became fuzzy and faded, and for a moment he entertained the thought that he was dying. But as the pain he felt reminded him, he was seemingly cursed to cheat death time and time again.

 _Is it getting hot in here?_ He thought. He struggled to get the harness off, but the latch was fused shut. _Fused shut… like it… melted…_

His thoughts were as fuzzy as his vision. _Melted… heat… fire, in the... the fuel tank. The fuel tank!_ "THE FUEL TANK!" he screamed aloud, terror fueling him to pull out his survival knife and cut through the harness like it was butter. He quickly mashed the 'OPEN' button of the side of the control panel, but it didn't do anything. He thought quickly, opting to reverse his grip of the knife, bashing it into the glass bowl that surrounded him.

The cockpit had been designed to withstand head-on collisions with birds when traveling at the speed of sound. It could stop bullets, and it cold certainly stop the feeble hits of one desperate pilot. The heat in the cockpit grew, and rivers of sweat ran down Soarin's face. He kept hitting the glass, each time thinking: _One more hit. Just one more and I'll be out._ The beat of the hilt on glass became slower, and less powerful. Slowly, he lost grip on the knife. It dropped out of his hands, his eyes beginning to close. His hand fell to his side. He heard a steady beat. One that only got louder as it continued.

The beat stopped and he thought he was dead. But suddenly, a thousand little glinting specks fell over him. He thought they were raindrops, a comfort of the afterlife. He opened his eyes, welcoming it. An indistinct shape came out of the rain above him, a soldier. Armed.

* * *

They could see the crash site. Rainbow Dash grabbed a rifle and gave it to Fluttershy, just in case. They shared a nod. Over the last month they had formed a trust that wouldn't be broken easily. Fluttershy would watch out for her. Smoke and fire billowed up from the crash, shrouding the area in a grim shade. The trucks drifted to a stop, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were the first to jump out, not quite waiting for their ride to stop. They ran over to the jet, heat quickly enveloping them. They could see movement in the cockpit through the curtain of smoke. The movements were slow, and suddenly they were over in a blur of motion.

"The pilot's trapped!" Rainbow Dash yelled over the roaring fire.

"Are you sure?" Fluttershy asked loudly.

"Yes!" Rainbow Dash replied. She tried to figure out how to get them out, but her brain wouldn't work in the combination of stress and heat. She started hitting the glass with the butt of her rifle, anxiety strengthening each hit more than the last. She heard an indistinct exclamation from beside her. "What?" she asked.

"Your arm! Use your arm!" Fluttershy shouted. Rainbow Dash's mind flew together instantly, scolding herself for being such an idiot, at the same time as driving herself forward, a real multitasking marvel when her vocabulary was so extensive.

 _You idiotic, slimy, maggot ridden, bitch! This soldier's fucking life is in your hands, LITERALLY, and you can't keep your goddamn shit together! You're a sorry fucking excuse for a human being, you massive pile of shit!_

She flung her rifle strap over her shoulder and drove her metal fist as hard as she could into the cockpit's glass, harder than she had ever dared before. The glass shattered, and she drew her arm back, hitting it again. She drew back for a third hit, but found herself met with the barrel of a gun pointed at her.

"Don't… move." the pilot said, the gun shaking feebly. She didn't dare do so much as blink, this man's grip was probably unsteady at best.

"I'm trying to help you." She said, keeping her voice as low as she could, while still being able to be heard over the flames.

"I… I don't…" Rainbow Dash never knew what he didn't do. He fainted, the pistol dropping to the cockpit's floor. Rainbow Dash quickly opened a large enough hole to get him out through, grabbing his collar with her super-human grip. She yanked him out, throwing him over her shoulder.

"Come on!" She shouted to Fluttershy. A sharp note had begun to shriek, getting steadily louder. They were halfway back to the trucks when an explosion rocked the earth, debris flying over their heads. Charred and flaming pieces of metal dug into the sand, making the desert look like some piece of art.

When they finally reached the trucks again, Rainbow Dash fell to her knees, depositing the pilot on the ground unceremoniously. Fluttershy fell onto all fours in a combination of exhaustion and relief. For the first time, Rainbow Dash actually looked at the pilot in detail. The suit was torn from the less-than-neat extraction from the cockpit. There was a red silhouetted eagle emblazoned on the left side of their chest, holding an axe and pickaxe in each claw. Under it were the letters 'R-E-A'. On the side opposite, there was a logo of a yellow lightning bolt with silver wings. Under it were the words ' _reliqua enim non optimus_ ' and ' _In clutis mirantibus_ ' She lingered on it for a while, until Rarity's voice broke her trance.

"Latin, I believe," she said. "I think it translates roughly to 'no rest for the best'. The second part doesn't make sense though, i'm pretty sure it means 'bolts wonder', but that doesn't make any-"

"Wonderbolts." Rainbow Dash said, oblivious to what Rarity was in the middle of saying.

"Wonder- oh, that would make sense, wouldn't it," Rarity said. "Who, or what, are the Wonderbolts?"

"The Red Eagle Alliance's most elite pilots." Rainbow Dash responded. "They only let the best fliers in Equestria into the Wonderbolts." Her voice had a sour undertone, but no one noticed. They were to preoccupied with the excited Scootaloo that had practically bounced over to the pilot.

"What's got you so worked up?" Fluttershy asked her.

"Don't you see?" She replied, not really answering. "This is such a big hit!"

"Hit? I thought you helped the people you found?" Rarity said, perplexed. Sweetie Belle had joined the conversation, butting in to explain.

"Everyone that deserts from the major factions we consider to be a strike to their cause." She paused, appearing to think for a moment. "But normally it's superficial really. This is more like a jab, straight to the heart. If such a high ranking soldier is willing to desert, it says a lot about the faction they serve."

"Don't get ahead of yourselves," Rainbow Dash said, her voice flat. "Who says they'll desert willingly." It was a statement more than a question.

"Well, I mean… uh…" Scootaloo tried to find a way to answer confidently, but something in the rainbow haired woman's voice told her there was something more to her point. "Why wouldn't they? It's not like they have much of a-"

"Choice?" Rainbow Dash cut her off. "You're wrong. I've seen soldiers turn their weapons on themselves rather than risk being caught deserting. It's…" she stopped, closing her eyes. When she opened them again, disquiet was etched across her face, and she spoke in a whisper quieter than the wind across the desert. "It's an awful thing to witness."

Dash stood up carefully, as if she couldn't see properly. She turned and looked at the ball of fire that used to be the pilot's craft. The fire silhouetted her. A hand rose to her face, wiping away the sweat that was dripping into her eyes. Which was odd, she thought. It had been awhile since she had been near the wreckage, and she hadn't felt warm.


	13. Chapter 13

Author note: Sorry this chapter is pretty short, but it's really just time that I start to develop some stuff on the side. Anyway, I hope that everyone is enjoying the recent chapters, I've definitely enjoyed writing them! Especially if you've made it this far, please leave some feedback! I want to know what people are thinking of the story so far, and I can't read minds!

"Sir, I've lost the signal."

"Well, find it!"

"I can't, it's… gone. I just, lost connection."

Wind Racer was fuming. In all his years of command, he had never lost a Wonderbolt like this. He had a reputation to uphold, and he didn't like the situation one bit.

"Where was the signal before it cut off?" he asked the apprehensive officer.

"Approximately forty-three degrees north, fifty-two degrees east."

"That's the best you can do?" Wind Racer asked, infuriated. "Oh, they're somewhere in _this_ country in _this_ general area!" his face was red, and the officer couldn't help thinking about how if there were steam pouring out of his ears, he'd look exactly like a cartoon.

"The flight data recorder doesn't transmit exact coordinates unless it's told to," the officer said, waiting for the inevitable question of-

"WELL WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL IT TO!" Wind Racer screamed, his face on the verge of turning pure crimson.

"I don't have the authority to unless I'm commanded by a superior officer." The officer started to imagine his superior having a heart attack, then and there, as worked up as he was. He wasn't exactly young either. Of course, Wind Racer wasn't letting this be pinned on him.

"I've told you before, if in any situation you deem it necessary to jump the chain of command, you are permitted to!"

The officer dreaded having to speak what he was about to. "I am required by military law to refer to the orders of my commanding officers." The sentence only incited Wind Racer more. "And as such, I cannot bypass the chain of command unless given permission by the president." Oh, the officer could see that a blood vessel was ready to burst in Wind Racer's head. He almost regretted not just doing as he had said. Almost.

Wind Racer tried to calm down. His reputation could suffer from his behavior as much as the loss of the pilot. "Contact Airbase 27. Tell them to send a search and rescue team to the last known location of the jet," he said calmly. "I'm not giving up on my pilot."

"He isn't really _your_ pilot," the officer said before thinking. "Um… all due respect, of course, sir." Wind Racer didn't respond. He knew he had slipped, and he simply turned and walked out of the comms station door.


	14. Chapter 14

Okay everyone, I'd exercise a little more caution going into this chapter, as it does depict some rather disturbing things. But, as always, try to enjoy!

Same rocky path. Same moonlit surroundings. Same set of rocks by the tree. Everything the same as the last dozen times he had seen them.

 _Hasn't it been three hours yet?_ he thought, glancing at the digital watch he wore. It read 4:01. _Maybe my relief will be here on the next pass._

Same dying trees. Same lumpy boulder. He did a double take. The last pass the boulder had been smooth as silk.

Moonlight shimmered over the boulder. It seemed odd, but three hours on nothing but water that tasted like dirt, at four in the morning, will do that. He turned back to his path.

Same rockslide. Same cleverly concealed entrance. Same hand- clutching his throat?

He began to yell, to scream, but the sound dyed in his throat as the appendage increased its grip. He was thrown to the ground, on his stomach.

"You tell me what I want to know," a raspy voice said, "or you die." Cold steel was pressed to the back of his neck.

"O… k-kay." he gasped out. The next patrol would be coming out soon. He just needed to stall.

"What are you guarding?" the voice asked, letting up the pressure a little.

He didn't dare cry out for help, the blade would be through him before he could. Either way, the base was soundproof. "A secret research base."

"What are you researching?"

The last thing he wanted was to actually give anything away. "A drug." he said, trying to think as he went. "To keep soldiers from getting sick on the front." A feeling like a hot iron flared on his neck. Warm liquid dripped down the sides of his neck. He let out a feeble whimper.

"Stop lying." the voice said. Either they were bluffing, or they already knew more than they should. And there was no way they knew anything.

"Okay, Okay! It's a new type of armor, able to stop something as large as a fifty caliber round fired by a sniper." He had faith his lie would pay off this time. A development like that would be revolutionary.

"I told you to tell me the truth." He tensed his neck involuntarily, waiting for the reward to his effort. When it didn't come, he began to relax a bit.

At that moment, his captor drove the knife into the back of his knee. The hand covered his mouth, just before he screamed out in pain. It came out as a muffled sob, tears beginning to well out of his eyes.

The punishment for giving away their research was death. He knew it well. He thought about all of the soldiers to have gone missing on patrol over the last few months. Now he understood what had been happening. He would rather go out with honor than be executed later.

"I won't tell you." he said as the hand was removed from his mouth. He felt brave in that moment. Only for a moment. Then the blade sawed through the back of his other knee. He screamed into the hand again. This time it was more bearable, he had been prepared for the pain.

"I know several dozen places I can stab you where it won't kill. That's in the abdomen alone. Cripple you, maybe. We can continue until I run out of nonlethal spots, all one-hundred-three over the whole body, or until you bleed out. Or, option three, you tell me what you're researching, and I end you quickly." The answer seemed them, at least an execution would be fast. But he wouldn't spend his last hours living as a guilty man.

"Burn in hell." he said, conviction in his voice. His captor could feel the fire in this man. He wouldn't spill easily. And his threat held no consequence after what they had sworn.

"I'm already there." They drove the knife into a spot just above the hip. Another muffled scream.

The man counted every stab. Lived out every agonizing moment with only one final wish in life. Survive. Survive the torture as long as possible.

A few stabs in, footsteps passed by. He didn't really hear it though. Not over the beating of his heart.

At fifteen he began to get tunnel vision. At thirty his eyes began to close. There was another stab, this time in his arm. Soon after, he found he couldn't even surrender to the pain. He became painfully aware of the injuries all over his body. He counted to fifty. He still couldn't sink into the final sleep his body wanted so dearly.

His captor was impressed. He hadn't let out a sound since the fifth. Not so much as a pained moan. If he managed to continue through all of their spots, they decided, he would live.

Seventy. Eighty. He was determined to stay quiet. He didn't want his torturer to have the slightest satisfaction. In his head he thought of his family. They had died in the War. He imagined joining them, being with them again. He would be truly happy again. He heard a beating drum. A steady, strong rhythm.

Ninety-three. The pain was so extreme he was no longer able to count past that number. He endured five more. He felt weak, in a new way. He felt if he were to stand, he couldn't physically support his own weight, even if he weren't in agony. His muscles were severed in several places along his sides, arms, and legs. The drum was slowing its pace.

Another two. He closed his eyes, allowing the feeling of freedom to wash over him. He felt another. It wasn't even painful anymore. A warm feeling of euphoria spread through him. One more prick. He didn't feel it at all. The beat of the drum stopped.

His captor felt for his pulse. They waited several minutes. They felt nothing.

 _One-hundred-two._ _Shame._


	15. Chapter 15

One moment, Rainbow Dash was standing next to the wounded pilot. Then, she was laying on the ground, face in the dirt, and she was rolled to the side. That's all she knew. When she kneeled and looked around, the pilot was in the middle of several Crusaders, all with rifles aimed at him. Fluttershy was standing over her, a hand on her shoulder. Sunlight glinted off of something in the pilot's hand.

 _He pulled a knife on me. And I almost fell for it._ She had let her emotions get the better of her. Fluttershy must have rolled her out of the way. She would have been dead. The pilot raised his arms slowly in surrender, dropping the knife. He sighed resignedly.

"Just shoot me now. I won't talk." he said. Rainbow Dash realized he must have thought they were Iron Federation troops. She stood up and nudged her way into the circle of Crusaders.

"We're not with Sombra." She told him. "Does this look like Iron Federation gear?" He took the point, glancing around.

"I guess not. Who are you then?" he asked.

"The Bloodmark Crusaders, sir!" Scootaloo said, butting into the circle. "Sorry if we gave you a scare here," she told him, gesturing at the Crusaders to lower their weapons. The pilot scrutinized her.

"Aren't you a bit... short, for a soldier?" he said after a moment.

"Of course, but not too short to be a Crusader!" she replied simply.

"And the… Bloodmark Crusaders, was it?" He asked. "Who are you?" Sweetie Belle had joined the conversation, and the two gave him the whole spiel. He listened, clearly intrigued.

"And you're not aligned with either the Iron Federation or the Red Eagle Alliance?"

"Nope. In fact, they're our sworn enemies." Sweetie Belle replied. "If you join us, we can stop the tyranny of war together!" she said, loud enough that every Crusader heard her. She raised her arm over her head, holding her elbow at a right angle, and action mimicked by all of the other Crusaders with a cheer.

Sweetie Belle held an arm out to the Pilot. He debated for a moment, before taking her grip firmly and, with her assistance, stood up. "I've got only one condition." he told her.

"And that would be?"

"Wind Racer. An REA commander. I want to deal with him personally."

"Any reason why?" Scootaloo inquired.

"Yes. But it doesn't matter to you." The pilot replied. The girls respected his wish for privacy.

"We never got your name." Fluttershy stated.

"Oh? Soarin. My name's Soarin."

"Well Soarin, welcome to the Crusaders." Sweetie Belle said, taking his hand and shaking it.

* * *

"You're sure it's them?" Sombra asked.

"Yes, sir." the apprehensive operator said. He wasn't actually, but the longer they took to find the escapees, the worse the Commander's temper would get.

"Good. Monitor them, and contact me as soon as they move."

"Understood, sir." On the operator's screen was a picture of a desert, with what looked like a large orange bush just above a group of vehicles. At least, it looked like a picture. After a few seconds, the picture changed. And again. In the corner of the screen were the words 'Satellite Feed 0-1763'.

* * *

They waited a while before moving out. They still had plenty of daytime, and the fresh air was nice. Well, as fresh as it can be when there's a smoking pile of fuel and metal nearby. Soarin was telling the girls what had happened to him. Dash, Fluttershy, and Rarity sat nearby listening.

"The jet could do what?" Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

"It could hide from radar, completely," Soarin repeated. "We couldn't keep track of it."

Rainbow Dash mumbled something.

"What?" Soarin asked.

"Project Spirit Waker," she repeated, audibly this time. "I was let in on it since I am… was… one of the best pilots they had. By the way, I'm ex-IF." she explained in a paltry tone, for the benefit of the puzzled Soarin. "I was to be the test pilot. Well, live fire test pilot after someone else ensured it didn't explode on takeoff," she corrected. "It was to be completely hidden from radar," she glanced at Soarin. "Obviously. It was also going to be capable of traveling much faster than any other jet."

"Well, they got those parts right." Soarin confirmed. "Took out two of my wingmates before the extra squadron I called in managed to take it down." He took a look at the remains of his F-15. "And effectively downed me."

One of the Crusaders tapped Scootaloo on the shoulder. They exchanged some whispered words, before she stood up and addressed the group.

"It's about time we head back to base everyone. Go ahead and get packed into your respective trucks."

"Soarin," Rarity said, "We've got space in the back of our truck. The others are full of supplies."

"Thanks. I-" he stopped and looked behind the women, his face stricken.

"What is it? Is there…" Rarity drifted off as she turned around as well, her expression quickly turning sour.

"Get to the trucks!" Sweetie Belle shouted. The wind had picked up briefly, blowing the smoke from the crash away momentarily. Through it Soarin, Rarity, and Sweetie Belle had seen the same thing.

* * *

"Black Cat, move in from behind that smoke column."

"Ten-four command." the grizzled commander responded. He pushed down the transmit button on the comms panel. "Turn tracks, bearing seventy-eight degrees." His own driver followed the command swiftly.

"Copy that." the other tank commander replied. The division numbered only two today, which would be more than enough for what they were tasked to do. When the tanks were in the path of the smoke, they righted out.

"Move to the left. I'll take the right side. Load shells."

"Copy that." In both tanks, the commanders ordered the loaders to put in sabot shells. The tracks turned slightly, so that when they came to the wreckage they would pass just to either side.

"Black Cat, be advised. They appear to have spotted you and are moving to vacate the area."

"Ten-four, command." he switched the comms back on. "Increase speed and acquire targets.," he commanded, with a nod to his own gunner.

"Copy that." the other tank replied. After a moment, his gunner confirmed a target. He nodded once.

"Fire at will."


End file.
